Travel Agent - March 31, 2008 - (Page DS10) mexico: Get Wet, Go Wild cenote diving The Riviera Maya is one of only a few places in the world where divers, as well as snorkelers, can experience cenote or cavern diving. The region’s network of underground rivers empty into the famous by Jacques Cousteau, are at the top of the submarine water-filled tunnels. These caverns are home to stalactites and canyon in about 90 feet of stalagmites and a variety of plant and marine life. There are water, where sands fall off the more than 100 cenotes in the Riviera Maya region and 52 have face of the cliff. An abundance been identified as excellent for diving and snorkeling. These of tropicals and game fish make include Gran Cenote, Taj Mahal, Choc Mool and Dos Ojos. this site a favorite. For more information, visit www.cenotedivingmexico.com. • Gorda Banks: This is for the most experienced divers, due Riviera Maya to the depth and currents that than 100 feet. Here divers will swim among sometimes occur. Located five ‘Great’ Time in Riviera Maya 800 species of fish and thousands of invertemiles offshore at a depth of 100 feet, it The Great Maya Reef — the second largest brate species, gliding past underwater walls offers divers the chance to encounter in the world and the longest in the Western blooming with delicate gorgonians, colorful large pelagics such as hammerhead Hemisphere — lies beneath the transparent sponges and swaying sea fans. Dive season is sharks, mantas, wahoo, yellow-fin tuna, waters along the Riviera Maya. It is home traditionally the summer here, but divers and dolphin, marlin and even whale sharks. to more than 500 species of fish and many snorkelers can come as early as April and as • Land’s End/The Point: At diving depths turtles, thriving coral reefs, caves, caverns late as November. The water temperature of 20 to 85 feet, divers have a chance to known as cenotes, and a vast network of averages 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. see turtles, sea bass, whale sharks and underground rivers. For those new to the sport, internationmantas. The flat rock at The Point is Access to the reef and the region’s 72 ally sanctioned dive services also offer NAUI home to a colony of sea lions, which dive named dive sites is easy and only a short boat and PADI scuba courses. These range from in to observe the divers themselves. ride from Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuresort courses for first-timers, costing from • Neptune’s Fingers: This site offers depths ras, Akumal and Tulum. Diving conditions about $100, to full, internationally recogfrom 25 to 130 feet and features hard and are excellent; beginners and experienced nized certification courses, running upwards soft corals, sea fans, sponges and gorgonidivers, as well as snorkelers, will delight in of $500. (Prices vary; check with individual ans, as well as octopi, tropicals, schools of their discoveries along the Riviera Maya. operators.) Scuba tours and courses along barracuda and other game fish. The average water temperature is 79 degrees with snorkeling tours and equipment rental Fahrenheit, underwater visibility is approxican be arranged at most hotels or through For more information, visit www.visitmately 65 feet and drop-offs start at 33 feet. professional dive operators. For clients who loscabos.org or experienceloscabos.com. Riviera Maya has a number of dive shops, want a live-aboard option, many of which are members of the Riviera there’s the 112-foot-long Maya Association of Dive and Water Sports luxury dive vessel Solmar V Operators. To find a listing of members, visit [solmarv.com], with onboard www.diverivieramaya.com. PADI training available. Following is a sampling of top Los Cabos dive sites: • Anegada Rock: The reef Viva Los Cabos starts at 15 feet and gradLos Cabos’ location in a transition zone ually slopes to 60 feet, between tropical and temperate waters offers where it drops off a deep Cozumel underwater visibility that can reach more wall. The sandfalls, made ocean. They are accessed by cenotes, essentially underground 10 DIVE SPECIALIST A TRAVEL AGENT UNIVERSITY PROGRAM http://www.cenotedivingmexico.com http://www.visitloscabos.org http://www.visitloscabos.org http://experienceloscabos.com http://solmarv.com http://www.diverivieramaya.com
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